Six candidates are running for the school board seat representing Mandarin and parts of Jacksonville's Southside. Jason Fischer, who held the seat, resigned to run for the Florida House of Representatives.
Since this is a nonpartisan seat, all voters in the district will chose between:
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Melody Bolduc | Stacie Dern | Lori Hershey | Greg Tison | Barbara Toscano | John Turner
Melody Bolduc
Age: 38
Candidate's family: I am married to my best friend and a small business owner in Jacksonville and have 2 children.
Occupation: Very Active Wife and Mother (Teacher on hiatus)
Education: BA Secondary English Education
Political experience: none
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My knowledge and experience in education, along with my passion and dedication to children propels me to be very active and engaged and to help more stakeholders to become actively engaged in our district. I intend to keep weekly office hours for constituents, hold regular town hall meetings, and send out monthly updates so members of our community know what is happening at the district-level.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Restoring teacher-led instruction and craetivity; Equipping teachers with support, training, and excellent resources created by master teachers; Funding and promoting programs that are proven effective in reaching our students from low income homes across the district (historically our lowest performers); Giving parents and teachers more of a voice at the district-level; Community partnerships that will benefit our students, especially skills training and apprenticeships for students who are not college bound; Ensuring our schools have enough support staff to enable everyone to do the jobs they were trained to do (particularly Guidance Counselors currently functioning as test administrators); Ensuring all district employees are making a livable wage; Providing leadership and strategies that will make our public schools the best option for all of our children; Being an active and knowledgeable voice that represents the heart and values of this district.
Campaign Website: MelodyBolduc.com
Facebook and/or Twitter pages: Facebook.com/MelodyBolducForSchoolBoardDistrict7
Stacie P. Dern
Age: 46
Family: married to Kenneth, step-daughter Tyler, daughter Kelbie, and son Jacob.
Occupation: small business owner
Education: college senior, working on bachelors in early education
Political experience: First time running
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I will dedicate my focus full-time on efforts to make positive changes. I will not be beholden to businesses looking to make a profit off of our children or testing companies interested in the bottom line. I will advocate for better policies because I am a parent of a child in a public school who is in touch with teachers and the community, listening to their needs and ensuring, as stakeholders, we all have a voice in the system. I am planning on dedicating my time to the school board, as it will be my only job. Something as important as the future of our children should not be taken casually or used a political stepping stone.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would like to be remembered for always being an advocate for children. I hope to accomplish a change in the curriculum, teacher autonomy, the way we grade our schools & teachers, and incorporate more arts and music in every school, so every child can experience an education benefitting the whole child.
Campaign Website: DernforDuval.com
Facebook and/or Twitter pages: Facebook.com/dernforduvalseat7 | @DernforDuval
Lori Hershey
Age: 52
Family: Husband: Scott Hershey, married 27 years. Children: Drew, Josh, Tori & Hope. Three children are graduates of DCPS and one is still enrolled.
Occupation:
Education: B.A. Stetson University, Completed all course work for Master's in Public Administration (Degree awarded in November 2016)
Political experience:
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My experience and perspective is multifaceted. I have been actively engaged in our public schools for over two decades through leadership on booster boards, Parent,Student, Teacher Associations, School Advisory Committees, The Duval County School Safety and Security Advisory Committee; as well as a volunteer and mentor. These leadership roles have given me in depth insight into the challenges facing our schools. I have expanded my knowledge as well as practical experience regarding writing effective policy through the completion of the required coursework for a Master's in Public Administration. This in depth study has provided me with a strong knowledge of how government works and the best practices associated with organizational management. My work experience with non profits such as Communities in Schools, United Way's Achiever's for Life mentoring program and my current work at the Jacksonville Children's Commission has empowered me with the essential experience to understand the value of community engagement that is vital for our schools. My focus and commitment for students has extended beyond the school walls as I have written grants for student run/walk programs that take place in schools located in in both Duval and Clay County. Knowledge of the DCPS budget coupled with the understanding of the budget's funding sources has been achieved through study and work experience. Finally, I am the only candidate in this race who has done the research to understand how charter schools impact public education in Florida.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would like for my service as your school board member to be noted for the following: expanded community engagement with our schools, increase in career and technical education and a standard of excellence for education that is established through a strong curriculum and teachers that are empowered in the classroom. I would like to leave office with a school system that our city is proud of.
Campaign website: VoteForiHershey.com
Facebook and/or Twitter pages: Facebook.com/lorihersheycandidateschoolboard7 | @lorihershey4
Greg Tison
Age: 56
Family: Married
Occupation: General Manager
Education: High School Diploma; Attended Florida Community College
Political experience: 2012 Candidate for the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District (DSWCD); 2013 Appointed to DSWCD to fill an unexpired term; 2015 Candidate for Jacksonville City Council At-Large; 2015 Appointed by City Council to the Jacksonville International; Airport – Community Redevelopment Agency
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
How can you help voters in a way that the others running for this office can’t?
I believe that my business experience as well as my community involvement in public and private organizations set me apart from my opponents. The relationships I have built with local and state elected leader’s positions me well on day one to work with those leaders to bring home the “bacon” for Duval County schools. I believe my 20+ years of management experience has prepared me well for the challenges of dealing with an organization as large as the Duval County School Board and its 1.7 billion dollar budget.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office? I would want to be remembered as someone who was a team player, a strong leader, who accomplished a goal bringing positive change and unity to the Duval County School District.
Campaign website: GregTisonForSchoolBoard.com
Facebook page and/or Twitter accounts: Facebook.com/Greg-Tison-4-School-Board-District-7-838033219675861
Barbara Toscano
This candidate has not returned the News4Jax candidate survey.
John Turner
Age: 55
Family: Married 31 years, 3 children
Occupation: Ret. U.S. Navy Chief Hospital Corpsman
Education: Some college
Political experience: Third time running for school board
What do you see as the top three issues in this race?
1. Reading crisis.
2. Discipline in classrooms.
3. Independent audit of DCPS.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I am the only candidate that understands how the school board really works and more importantly, how to fix it. I have attended more school board and town hall meetings than all the other candidates combined. I am not beholden to special interest groups and I will work full-time on improving our public schools in district 7.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Fixing our failing schools by properly teaching phonemic awareness to Pre-K though 2nd grade.
Campaign Website: TurnerForSchoolBoard.com
Facebook and/or Twitter pages: